Top Tips For Buying A Pre-Owned Watch
There are lots of kinds of luxury watches out there on the current market. Vintage timepieces are incredibly popular today, sought after by both collectors and fans of brands alike, with a lot of people willing to go to great lengths to get the watch of their dreams.
If you have decided to splash out on a luxury watch, the last thing that you want to do is to get a counterfeit on a broken watch. While a pre-owned watch can offer buyers the chance to own a statement piece at a fraction of the new price, there are a few things that you should consider before you part with any money.
Be Careful Where You Purchase
It is always recommended to buy from a recognized dealer or shop when it comes to luxury watches, whether you buy new or pre-owned. Buying from online stores like eBay could cause you a lot of problems when it comes to price, faults, and authenticity. A watch isn’t only a functional accessory. It is also a very personal item that can hold a lot of fond memories, so it’s important to get your purchase right, whether you buy a new Rolex or are looking for pre-owned Journe watches for sale.
If The Price Seems Too Cheap, It Probably Is
It can be hard to find a bargain-priced Rolex or Chopard watch. It’s a good idea to get a clear idea of the current market value and price of new watches of the brand you want before you start looking.
A timepiece that seems very underpriced runs the risk of being counterfeit, stolen, faulty, or being a ‘Frankenstein’ watch, which contains parts from other watches. If you risk thus purchase and find the watch is fake or stolen, you run the risk of it being seized or destroyed.
Look Out For Faults And Scratches
One worry when it comes to owning pre-owned watches is the condition. There is likely to be some wear and tear due to the age, and with age comes some scratches and scrapes. The condition is a major factor in how a watch will hold value.
Check The Service History
A good indicator of the work that your watch has undergone is the service history. You can find out any recurring issues that the watch has, as well as any modifications that have been made. A timepiece that has been tampered with or contains parts that are not the original can lose a lot of value at resale.
Check The Seller Is Offering A Warranty
Some sellers claim to have serviced a watch, but you need to know that whoever worked on it knew what they were doing and used genuine parts. It’s a good sign if the watch comes with a warranty, so you can be sure of its authenticity. A genuine seller will be able to tell you where they purchased the watch from. This means that can also run checks to make sure the watch has never been stolen.
Set A Budget
This can seem boring, but it is the best place to start because if you don’t, you’re going to get distracted by extra features, like fitness tracking. If you don’t know the price you want to set, you could end up looking at a dozen watches and thinking that all of them are for you, and that’s not very helpful. It can cause decision paralysis, and you might end up not making a decision at all. Setting a budget means two things. Pick a number, set that number, and you don’t budge from it. A budget will help you make a choice and narrow down your options.
Do Your Research
This is one of the most open-ended tips in this guide, and it can be the most fun part of buying a pre-owned watch. This is where you spend some time figuring out what you want from your new watch, what your style is, and what you like in a watch. Do you like the history of a particular brand, or do you like a particular line of watches?
What are you going to be using your watch for? If you already have an idea of what you like, you are already a step ahead, and using resources like YouTube channels and websites is a good place to start some further research. Perhaps you’ve seen a Bond movie and fell in love with the watch that James Bond was wearing. You can spend some time researching all the different iconic watches worn by Bond, and work out if you could own one that fits your other requirements, tastes, and budget.
Make A List Of Non-Negotiables
When you are buying a pre-owned watch, you do have to give up a little bit of control. You can’t just walk into a jewelry store, point at a watch in the case, and ask for that one. To mitigate some of the loss of control, it’s a good idea to go in with a list of non-negotiables in mind.
You should have already set your budget, you have done some good research, and you are beginning to refine what style of watch you are looking for. In your research, you might have determined that you are going to wear this watch for work, so mostly behind a desk. That might mean you don’t really want a bracelet style, so you will only look at watches with straps.
Perhaps you don’t like to check your phone too often, so a watch that also shows the date might be important to you. You want a collector’s piece that is complete, so your non-negotiable might be that you want a watch that has its original box, papers, and manuals. It’s a good idea to have two or three non-negotiables in mind when you go to look at pre-owned watches, and like setting your budget, this really helps to refine the list of watches that you should look at and consider purchasing.